News

Editorial: Never mind the politics; clean up coal ash

Instead of working together to bring clean, safe water to hundreds of families, Gov. McCrory and politicians in Raleigh continue to fight to see who can give more away to Duke Energy. The Rocky Mount Telegram is out with a new editorial slamming the inaction on coal ash.

The General Assembly in 2014 approved a bill to create a special commission to deal with coal ash cleanup, and McCrory allowed the measure to become law.

Months later, the governor sued the legislature, claiming the commission encroached on his executive authority. The N.C. Supreme Court ruled 6-1 in favor of the governor.

Now, the legislature has drafted and passed a new bill to create another new Coal Ash Management Commission, this time giving the governor the authority to appoint five of the seven people who would sit on the panel. McCrory said he will veto the new measure.

But somewhere behind this glorified spitting contest lies a real need for the state government to do something. Coal ash ponds scattered around North Carolina pose an environmental threat to nearby wells.

Comments

Albert Dauphinais

I have to wonder if this is not a scheme to delay cleaning up what we know is bad for out environment and clean water. When you have the Governor, House and Senate of the same party, Why the disconnect. Does Governor McCrory need to keep a door open for a job once he leaves the Governor's Mansion? Do whats right and clean up the dirty coal ash.